Alfredo d costa gomez



(No Model.)

A. DG. GOMEZ. MACHINE FOR HULLING COFFEE BERRIES.

.No. 567,467. Patented Sept. 8, 1896.

wmmsm m/ VENTOI? W ATTORNEYS.

THE NORRIS PETERS CO ION. D. C.

"IPA/TENT I f r-ICE.

ALFREDO DCOSTA GOMEZ, OF BUOARAMANGA, COLOMBIA.

MACHINE FOR HULLING COFFEE-BER RIES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 567,467, dated September 8, 1896.

Application filed December 10, 1895. Serial N 571,695. (No model.)-

- and exact description.

My invention relates to machines for separating coffee-grains from their hulls, and has for its object to achieve the above-indicated operation thoroughly and with a small expenditure of time and energy.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, as hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved machine. Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof, and Fig. 3 is a broken detail sectional elevation of the crushing and separating mechanism.

The machine comprises standards II, connected by bolts G, and in these standards are journaled hollow iron cylinders B and B,

which are of different diameters, one of them being about half the diameter of the other. The length of the cylinders is the same and is equal to the distance between the standards H II. The larger cylinder is provided with longitudinal grooves spaced at a distance of about two millimeters, thereby forming a rough surface, as hereinafter mentioned. If it is desired, these grooves, instead of being parallel to the aXis, may be oblique. Instead of producing the grooves in the surface of the cylinder proper I may secure upon the cylinder a shell of sheet metal B having a number of knobs projecting on its surface, and thereby forming a rough surface, for the purpose described. These knobs may be grooved longitudinally, thereby increasing the roughness of the surface. In order to line the cylinder with the said shell, the cylinder is perforated at various points and wooden pegs Uare inserted in the said openings and cut level with the surface of the cylinder. The shell is then secured by means of nails or tacks W, inserted in the plugs. The 1011- gitudinal edges of the shell are soldered together. Another way of producing aroughened surface would be to provide a smooth shell and perforate the same, thereafter inserting in the openings metallic pins whose heads will project from the shell and whose inner ends would be screw-threaded and pass through the cylinder to receive nuts on the inner side thereof. In this case also the roughness of the surface might be increased by grooving the'heads of the pins. The small cylinder B is preferably smooth 011 its outer surface, although a rough surface might be used, but in this case the results will not be so good. Both cylinders are placed substantially parallel or. tangentially to each other at their adjacent or active portions and are spaced to form a passage-way for the berries. The distance between the cylinders may be varied by means of adj Listing-screws T 'I to correspond to the size of the berries. The cylinders are driven by means of a crankhandle M on the shaft of the larger cylinder, and a sprocket-chain E connects the sprocketwheels E and E on the shafts of the large and the small cylinder, respectively. A flywheel V may also be provided on the shaft of the large cylinder. It will be understood that owing to this connection the cylinders B and B will'be rotated so that their adjacent portions move in opposite directions, and the cylinder B, owing to its greater diameter, will have a greater peripheral speed than the cylinder 13. Below the adjacent or active portions of the cylinders 13 and B and extend ing substantially in the common tangential plane of the said cylinders is located a separator O, which is in the nature of a knife having its edgedirected upwardly, and which may be likewise adjusted by means of setscrews T. A is a hopper arranged above the cylinders 13 and B and divided into two compartments by means of a suitable partition. P and S are chutes or outlets at the bottom of the machine, which extend on opposite sides of the separator C.

In operation the berries are fed into the hopper A, and simultaneously a stream of water isallowed to fall into the said hopper, so as to keep the berries in motion. When the berries are between the cylinders B and B, they are subjected to a crushing or squeezing action, and the hull being of a fibrous nature it has a tendency to adhere to the rough surface of the large cylinder, while the grains go toward the small cylinder. Separation is completed by the knife 0 below the cylinders and the hulls escape through the chute P, While the grai-ns'are received at the outlet S. In case no adequate supply of Water is available, I may employ an eccentric on one of the gear-Wheels and provide a reciprocating rod Within the hopper to stir the coffee-berries, the saidv reciprocating. rod being connected with the eccentric-rod by means of an elbow-lever. As the edge of the separating knife should be in the same horizontal plane with the axis of the large cylinder, it is necessary that the center or axis of the small cylinder should be slightly above the said plane.

Having thus fully described my invention, I-clain1 as new and desire to secure-by Letters Patent 1. In a machine forhullinglcoffce-berries, the combination of twosrollers of unequal size rotating. in ,opposite directions :and at differentiates of speed, the larger rollerbeing roughened and the smaller. one smooth,

and a separator projecting upwardlybetween the saidrollers, saidlseparator being in the natureof a knifeandserving to separate the grains and, hulls substantially as described;-

2. In a machine for, hulling coffee-berries, the combination of two trollersof unequalv size and rotating in opposite directions, the larger roller being roughened and the smaller one smooth, the said smaller roller having its axis above the axis of the larger roller, and a separator projeetin g upwardly between the said rollers With its' edge in the same horizontal plane with the axis of the larger roller, said separator being in the nature of a knife and serving to separate the grains and hulls substantially as described.

8. In a machine for hulling coffee-berries, the combination With 'a supporting-frame, of two rollers of unequal sizemounted therein, the larger roller having a rough en ed surface, and the smaller roller being smooth, the said smaller roller havingits axis above the axis of the-larger roller, sprocket-Wheels on the shafts of the rollers, a sprocket-chain passing around said sprocket-Wheels, means for 0p- 1 eratinglthe larger roller, andan adjustable separator in the nature of a knifeand projecting between the rollers :with its upper edge in the same plane With the axis of the larger roller, substantially as described. 

